Amira Masood
Amira Masood (née Shah) was the wife of Syed Masood and the daughter of Qadim Shah. She is Yasmin Masood's mother and she is classed as part of the Masood Family. Backstory Amira's backstory was revealed in an interview with Kalidas: "Amira doesn't have a mother, as she died when she was really young. She lives with her father, who's a big businessman — she met Syed through him. Her dad works in property, so Amira comes from wealth. One day her father just disappears, so she has no one else and her house is repossessed. She only has her clothes." Storylines 2009–10 Amira is the girlfriend of Syed Masood, the son of established characters Masood Ahmed and Zainab Masood. She arrives when Zainab invites her for dinner. Syed's brother Tamwar reveals to Amira that Syed is not as successful as she believes. She insults the family and Masood asks her to leave, and her relationship with Syed ends. She returns a month later to meet Syed in the park, and they talk until he becomes suspicious of her. The next day she arrives unexpectedly, claiming her father Qadim Shah has disappeared and she is homeless. Syed attempts to hide her upstairs but her presence is soon known throughout the family. She then rents a room in a nearby flat. Still trying to get into Zainab's good books, Amira takes over at Bushra Abbasi's event and sings beautifully to the guests. She begins to get to know Albert Square and its residents, and gets a job at Tanya Branning's beauty salon. Syed proposes to Amira and she readily accepts. However, she soon confesses to Zainab that her father is in Pentonville Prison for fraud. Zainab is initially angry, but says that if she keeps Syed happy, the wedding will go ahead. Amira then starts planning for the wedding, and enlists a reluctant Christian Clarke to help her. She tells Masood that he should not pay for her wedding to Syed and she is going to visit Qadim. When she does, he reacts badly to the news that she is engaged to Syed and refuses to give them his blessing. She gives him the option of either accepting him as her fiancé or that he will not be contacted again. She later takes money from his safety deposit box for the wedding without his knowledge, saying he has no need for it. She worries about her wedding when Christian goes to Spain and when she finds out her father's legal team has found a loophole in order to free him. During the Mehndi celebration, Amira is shocked to see that her father has walked in. The next day, she is forced to tell Zainab and Masood that Qadim did not give his blessing and she stole the money. Qadim arrives and Syed reveals they took the money but Amira interrupts and says it was her idea. Qadim orders her to pack her bags but she defies him. Qadim says he will expect the money in cash the next day and leaves, after which, Amira says the Masoods are her family now. Qadim comes back the next day and agrees to give his blessing and pay for the wedding after realising how much Masood has done for Amira. She marries Syed, not knowing that he has come out to his mother as gay and is in love with Christian. After their honeymoon, Amira applies for work at The Queen Victoria public house and meets Danny Mitchell, who compliments her, but she realises she is not cut out for that work. She decides to go back to work at Masala Queen, the family's curry business, and when she is alone with Syed, she dresses up sexily in an attempt to seduce him, as they have still not consummated the marriage. Syed tells her to get dressed as anybody could see her, so she leaves. Danny finds her in the Square and they kiss. The next day she regrets it and tells Danny it was a stupid mistake. Amira sleeps on the sofa and tells Zainab it is because Syed kicks her in his sleep. She tells Chelsea Fox she kissed another man and says she is still a virgin and assumes Syed is too, and Chelsea encourages her to tell Syed about the kiss. Amira and Syed talk and she thinks he does not find her attractive, and tells him that she kissed Danny. Syed says it is not that but he is nervous about sleeping with her. After Syed confronts Danny, Syed and Amira sleep together and talk about starting a family. After the birth of Syed's brother Kamil, Syed again talks about starting a family, but is shocked to discover Amira taking birth control tablets. She says a baby was Zainab's idea and she is not ready for the responsibility of motherhood, but Syed tells her he cannot trust her. They later both agree to wait to try for a baby, but after spending time with Kamil, Amira tells Syed she is feeling broody and throws away her tablets. Amira starts working back at the salon, this time for Roxy Mitchell, who has taken over. She receives a cheque for £5000 from her father and decides to use it to put a deposit on a flat to rent with Syed. Amira's increasing frustration with her husband's distance from her leads her to confide in Christian and ask for advice. Christian's advice works and Syed and Amira make love, which the next day Amira tells Christian was "perfect". Shortly after this Amira believes she could be pregnant so announces to the family that she is. Chelsea tells her to take a pregnancy test, but it is negative. Amira eventually admits to Syed that she is not pregnant, and as they decide to try for a baby again, Amira sees the words "Syed loves Christian" painted on a wall in their bedroom unaware it was painted by Lucy Beale She refuses to believe it, even after Syed and Christian tell her Syed is gay, and runs to the Masoods' house. Syed follows, and Zainab and Masood calm the situation until Christian arrives. Amira is unable to control her emotions and breaks down. Qadim demands to know why Amira is scared of Christian, so Syed reveals that he's a gay man in a sham marriage. As a heartbroken Amira packs her bags, Chelsea tells her that she got the pregnancy tests mixed up. Amira asks her to keep the pregnancy a secret, and as she drives out of Walford with her father, she clutches her stomach and smiles. Three days later, Qadim returns to Walford, looking for Syed, and reveals that Amira is unable to eat or drink due to the recent revelation. 2011–12 In 2011, Syed and Christian decide to try to find Amira so Syed can divorce her and marry Christian in a civil partnership. Amira is seen at home where her father says someone visited him with a message from Syed, which shocks Amira. She tries to call Syed behind her father's back, but he snatches the phone and drops onto the road. Amira then secretly calls an unknown source, giving Syed's address and surname. Amira confesses to Qadim that she phoned Zainab because she believes Syed wants to reconcile, and is devastated to learn Syed only wants a divorce so he can marry Christian. It is revealed that Amira has a daughter. Syed discovers that Zainab had Amira's contact details and phoned her, however when her father answers, he informes Syed that Amira had left two weeks ago without a forwarding address. Several weeks later, Amira leaves several messages for Zainab, although determined for Syed not to find Amira, Zainab ignores them. Later, Yusef Khan phones Amira and agrees to meet her in a park, although he is stunned when she turns up with her baby daughter, Yasmin, telling Yusef that Syed is the father. Shortly after, Amira arrives in Walford, wanting to speak to Syed and she is devastated when she walks in on Syed and Christian announcing their engagement. When Syed sees her, she storms out, although she later confesses that he is a father, showing him a picture of Yasmin. When Christian approaches her, she sprays perfume in his eyes. Amira tells Syed that she will allow him to see Yasmin in the flesh, but Christian cannot come anywhere near her. Shortly after, she returns to Walford with Yasmin and introduces her to Masood, Tamwar and Tamwar's wife, Afia Masood. When Syed and Christian come round to see her, she tells Syed that he must choose between Christian and Yasmin and a furious Syed tells her she will be hearing from their solicitor. As Amira is leaving, Syed runs out and meets his daughter for the first time. He agrees to secretly meet with Amira in a park so that he can spend more time with Yasmin, although he does not tell Christian. Both Syed and Amira are pleased when father and daughter bond and Amira tries to manipulate Syed into spending more time with them. When Yusef learns that Amira has been seeing Syed, he tells her that she is not wanted by the Masood family. Amira ignores him, and attends a family dinner where Zainab sees Yasmin for the first time. Amira and Zainab then both try to manipulate Syed into spending more time with his daughter, including organising a family party for Yasmin's birthday. Yusef phones Qadim and tells him that Amira has been seeing the Masoods, he storms round to the party and demands that Amira and Yasmin return with him. Amira refuses, and Qadim leaves stating that Amira is no longer his daughter. Christian then reveals that he had a paternity test performed, which proves that Syed is not the father of Yasmin. Syed is devastated, but Amira continues to claim that he is the father. However, it emerges that Yusef falsified the results of the paternity test. Amira and Yasmin then stay with Syed and Christian, having nowhere else to go. Christian eventually accepts them staying and although Amira says Christian can be a full part of Yasmin's life, she asks Yusef for help to get Syed back, and in return helps to get Zainab back on side with Yusef. Yusef orchestrates Christian being falsely accused of touching 15-year-old Ben Mitchell. Syed doubts Christian again, leading to Christian breaking up with Syed and leaving Walford. Though Amira is concerned by Yusef's scheming tactics, she is pleased that Christian has left. However, Yusef suggests that Christian may return at any time, and that Amira's best hope of keeping Syed would be to move to Pakistan with him. Amira then invents a phoney business opportunity in Pakistan to lure Syed there. Christian returns to Walford to spend Christmas with his sister Jane Beale, and attempts to make Syed jealous by kissing other men. Syed realises he loves Christian, and attempts to phone him, however, before they meet, Amira pretends to fall down the stairs and hurt her ankle, using it as an opportunity to seduce Syed, though this fails. Syed gets Qadim involved and Amira eventually agrees to divorce Syed, but tells him she is not leaving Walford with Qadim, although this does not stop Syed and Christian reuniting. After Anthony Moon removes a cockroach for Amira, he develops a crush on her and attempts to impress her. She invites him to a family dinner as a friend, but it becomes awkward. Later, Amira and Anthony get together on the stall and kiss, which starts a relationship between them both. After this, Amira moves into Anthony's after a candlelit dinner with him. After having a small argument with Christian, who tells Amira that her relationship with Anthony is merely a smokescreen to cover up the feelings she still has for Syed, Amira goes to Anthony and they have sex for the first time. However, she cries afterwards and appears to regret it. She tells Lauren Branning that the sex felt wrong, empty and cheap, and Anthony overhears this. She tells him that it is about how she feels and not him, but he gets angry. She says she is a bad mother, and has been unhappy all her life. She calls Anthony a fool for liking her, then goes to Syed and tells him she has to leave as he knows that Syed will never love her, and asks him to look after Yasmin for a while. She returns a few months later to ask Syed for Yasmin back, as she is getting married and moving to Birmingham. Syed eventually agrees but when Christian finds out he tries to stop her. Syed tells him that it is for the best and after agreeing to stay in touch, Amira and Yasmin depart after a tearful goodbye. Notable Relationships Qadim Amira has spent her whole life with Qadim, and when Qadim wants to return to live with him, she ruthlessly disagrees so Qadim throws Amira out, expecting her to live with the Masoods. Syed Syed met Amira in Pakistan, not knowing that he was actually gay. Syed then goes onto work away from Pakistan and away from his family. Amira and Syed reunite, and they become a couple. But, Syed has a secret affair with Christian Clarke right underneath Amira's nose. After Syed and Amira marry and at their housewarming party, Amira discovers the truth from Christian, and she breaksdown with Syed. At the end of the episode, Amira and Qadim leave, with Amira clutching her stomach, knowing she is pregnant. Amira returns again in 2011, and she lets Syed being a part if Yasmin's life, in a bid to win Syed back. Anthony In 2012, Anthony Moon discovers he has feelings for Amira, and starts to help her and keeps buying her coffee. Amira invites Anthony to her family's meal, but he makes a fool of himself. Quotes Attention Please. Catchphrase See also * Amira Masood - List of appearances Category:Characters Category:Female Characters Category:Main Characters Category:Past Characters Category:Shah Family Category:Masood Family Category:2009 Arrivals Category:2012 Departures Category:Ahmed Family